Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 October 1886 — A SUSPECTED MUKDER. [ARTICLE]

A SUSPECTED MUKDER.

That was not Committed. The whole northern part of the county has been wild with excitement for a number of days over a j combination of circumstances which strongly suggested the idea that another foul murder had been committed in Keener township. Old man Humphreys and his; son, Romey lyre, alone on the old Hathaway farm, in Keener, and near them lives Witsey Punter, a Hollander whose temper is said to b^not at all of a lamb-like order. JBoth places are in the immediate vicinity in which Wartena and the unfortunate Dreger lived, and Punter was, for a short time, held under suspicion of being an accomplice of Wartena’s, though without good reason. He was also about the nearest neighbor of young Cotton, whose tragical fate is still an unsolved mystery. Much bad feeling has existed between the Punters and the Humphrys this year, on account of depredations made by Humphry’s cattle in Punter’s crops, and the latter is said to have uttered, some rather gory threats against the Humphrys. Late last Friday night a young man, a stranger, stopped at Humphry’s house and found the old man alone, his son having gone to Valparaiso. The young man said he was a teacher from Porter county, was after a.school, had got off his road and. wanted to stay all •night. A short time after Humphrys’ cattle got out and made a rush for Punter’s corn-field. Humphrys went after a part of the drove, towards one corner of the field, and the man in another direction. In a few minutes the old man heard a gun shot in the vicinity of the place where the young fellow was, and upon going towards the place he heard Punter, or some one he thought to be him, order him, by name and in very profane and abusive language, to stop, as he had another charge fur him. Humphrys seems now to have got “clear off his nut” with fright and excitement, and forgetting the existence of the young man entirely, went back to his house, got his gun and started off towards the river from which direction he expected his son to. come, and did not return until the next day. -

Noah Frame and son, driving home from attendingS. P. Thompson’s meeting at DeMotte, heard I two shots ana what was more terryfying, the supposed loud groans of a dying man. W. C. Tyler and others also heard the shots. When Humphrys returned home the next day and remembered, and told of the young stranger who had gone after his cattle and had not been seen since, the suspicion at once arose that Punter, in a moment of rage had shot him, thinking he was young Humphrys. Punter was accordingly arrested and had a hearing before Squire Troxell, of DeMotte. That justice did not think there was sufficient evidence to justify him in holding Punter and he was discharged. On Monday, on the strength of what seemed positive information to the effect that a young man had come across the river from Porter county, on Tuesday, in a boat, and had not gone back nor been heard from, Punter was again arrested, and on Tuesday afternoon was again examined, this time before Squire Shortridge, of Keener. J. AV. Douthit represented the state and S. P. Thompson the defense. At this trial it was shown that that the young man from Porter county had gone home all safe; that the shots were fired by a man named Stone, at a dog; that the dying groans were only the frightened exclamations of a Hollander whose house was shying wildly at a log by the road. The highly wrought state of mind of the people conse-1 quent upon hearing S. P. Thompson’s political speech st DeMotte, Friday night, and Old man -Humphry’s bad scare over the gun shots he heard, would probably account for whatever other remarkable circumstances of that affair, that are not otherwise explained.